Several former Blackhawks are making impacts in the playoffs and have helped their teams get through the first round.
Several former Blackhawks are making impacts in the playoffs and have helped their teams get through the first round.
Former Blackhawks are making impacts in the 2024 playoffs as the field narrows down to eight teams.
Nine skaters who used to play for Chicago have helped their teams through to the second round. Let's take a deeper look at just how much each has contributed and impressed.
New York Rangers
Artemi Panarin needed redemption from last year's playoffs when the favored New York Rangers fell to the New Jersey Devils in seven games. The star forward managed only two assists in the series after posting six goals and 16 points in 20 games in 2022.
Panarin is off to a good start with two goals and three points in the four games it took the Rangers to knock off the Washington Capitals in this year's first round. Then he added a third-period goal that stood up as the game-winner in New York's 4-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday in the teams' opening game in the second round.
Panarin's underlying analytics aren't great, but results are what matter the most and he and his line have delivered. His two playoff appearances with the Blackhawks ended in the first round, but he did have seven points in seven postseason games to cap his 2015-16 his rookie season.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes handled the New York Islanders in the first round with a big contribution from Teuvo Teravainen. One of his best playoff performances was in 2015 during the Blackhawks run to the Stanley Cup when he had four goals and 10 points in 18 games.
In five games against the Isles, Teravainen had two goals and four points while playing on the second line of a very deep team. He also needed redemption after last year when he produced just one goal in six games for the Hurricanes.
Edmonton Oilers
Corey Perry may not have any points yet, but he has made an impact on the Edmonton Oilers' third line with the youngsters. His grittiness and ability to work the boards/front of the net caused havoc for the Los Angeles Kings.
Of the Oilers' forwards who have played more than two games, Perry is one of only two who has only been on for one goal against at 5-on-5. He also has solid shots for % (SF%) of 52.27, expected goals for % (xGF%) of 54.9, scoring chances for % (SCF%) of 55.56, and high danger chances for % (HDCF%) of 57.89.
Perry played in only 16 regular season games for the Blackhawks before the team released him on Nov. 28 for violating team policies.
Florida Panthers
Gustav Forsling was up against the dynamic offense of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round and was tasked with the hardest matchups. He didn't do amazingly, but did limit the Lightning to three goals against at 5-on-5 through the five games. Considering the likes of Nikita Kucherov recorded 144 points this season, that isn't bad.
Forsling had four assists through five games and was a plus-5. At 5-on-5 he had a 53.85 SF% and a 50.12 xGF%. He was by far the most unlucky defenseman on the Panthers as his PDO (shooting % + save %) was the only one under 1.00 at 0.969.
Vancouver Canucks
Three ex-Blackhawks currently are skating for the Canucks as they square off with the Oilers in Round 2 – Nikita Zadorov, Pius Suter, and Sam Lafferty. While Zadorov and Suter are making impacts, the same can't be said about Lafferty.
Zadorov has dished out some big hits already this postseason, and has two goals and three points in six games. In every analytical category that matters when it comes to puck possession and execution, he is well above 50%. When the big D-man is on the ice at 5-on-5, the Canucks have nearly double the scoring chances and high danger chances than they allow.
Suter is still playing on the top line and creating. He is one of just three players on the team who was on the ice for four goals for at 5-on-5 in Vancouver's opening round victory over the Nashville Predators,
He's scored two goals, including the game-winner with 1:39 left in the third period in the deciding Game 6 at Nashville (a tense 1-0 Canucks win). Suter has very good underlying numbers with 80 GF%, 69.34 xGF%, 69.12 SCF%, and 68.75 HDCF%.
Lafferty has been outshot and out-chanced by a wide margin, but has been on the ice for one goal for and just one against at 5-on-5 from the fourth line. Of the 12 forwards to suit up for every game, Lafferty has played the least as well.
Colorado Avalanche
The sixth and seventh defensemen on the Colorado Avalanche, Jack Johnson and Caleb Jones, have done their jobs, but it hasn't been anything special. Their underlying analytics are great and provide only positives, even if they don't show up on the scoresheet.
Jones filled in for Sam Girard while he missed two games, but the younger brother of Blackhawks top defenseman Seth Jones is out of the lineup for the time being.
Johnson played all five games as Colorado knocked out Winnipeg. Neither had a point in the opening round, but the Avalanche continued to control possession and scoring chances while they were on the ice.
One or more of these players could easily hoist the Stanley Cup this season, for the first time or more. Most of these nine have already played a big role and will continue to if their team is going to win it all this season.
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